


Jealous Much?

by my_mad_fatuation



Category: My Mad Fat Diary
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-22
Updated: 2016-06-22
Packaged: 2018-07-16 14:56:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7272709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/my_mad_fatuation/pseuds/my_mad_fatuation
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rae tries to get Finn's attention by pretending to date Chop</p>
            </blockquote>





	Jealous Much?

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place around 1.06 and 2.01, but I removed the wedding because I am lazy. It is just silly.

“Oh my god, Rae, I kissed him!” said Chloe once Finn had left the table.

“Who?” Rae replied, disinterested.

“Finn. You know, I didn’t really like him that much—you know, I just fancied him ‘cause he was so fit, but now I really do like him. Oh, it’s so nice when that happens.”

Rae smiled and imagined herself bashing in Chloe’s head with a tray of food, then dragging her body out to the road where she’d run her over with a van and—

“Rae!”

“What?”

“Well, me and Finn haven’t spoken about it yet, but we’ll defo be going out by the end of next week, and then, well, you know…” Chloe looked at her friend expectantly. “Rae, I’m talking about—”

“Sex, yeah, I get it. It’s a really exciting time for ya.”

“It is.”

“I kissed someone last night, too,” Rae said suddenly, not wanting to let how on crushed she was. “Yeah, we’re going out tonight, actually.”

Chloe’s eyes went wide. “Really? Who?”

Rae thought for a moment and blurted out the first name that came to mind. “Chop.”

Why did she have to say Chop? Why couldn’t she have said Archie? She actually did kiss him last night and he would probably go along with her lie if she asked him to.

“Oh my god!” said Chloe.

“What’s going on?” asked Finn when he sat back down, startling both girls.

“Nothi—”

“Rae was just telling me how she kissed Chop last night and now they’re going out,” Chloe answered.

Finn’s face fell. “Really? He didn’t mention anything when he was here.”

“Well, we were trying to keep it a secret for now,” said Rae. She looked at Finn who was chewing on his lip and avoiding her gaze. “I—I should probably go.”

She grabbed her bag from the back of her chair and swung it over her shoulder before leaving. She needed to get home ASAP and call Chop before he heard the news elsewhere.

***

Rae felt encouraged by the look of disappointment on Finn’s face when he found out she was dating Chop now, and wondered if maybe this ruse would create the sort of tension required to move Rae permanently into Finn’s zone of romantic possibilities.

“You know I’d do anything for ya, Raemundo,” Chop said after Rae explained the situation over the phone, “but I’ve sort of got my sights set on someone else and I wouldn’t want her thinking I was taken, now, would I?”

“Look, Chop, I know you love Izzy—”

“I never said it was Izzy!”

“You told me at the rave. Just think of it this way—right now you two are friends, yeah? But maybe seeing you with another girl will be just the thing to get her to notice you in a romantic way.”

“Maybe… But why do _you_ want to pretend to date me, then?”

“I am also trying to get someone’s attention,” said Rae. “And it didn’t hurt that Miss Perfect Chloe seemed a little jealous when I told her.”

“All the ladies want some of this, do they?” Chop said with a laugh.

“Don’t get too full of yourself; I think she’s just jealous that her fat friend is getting more attention than she is.”

“Yeah, well, no offense to her, but you’re way more fun.”

She chuckled quietly.

“So…” he added after a moment. “D’you really think this will get Izzy’s attention?”

“It’s worth a shot.”

“Well, in that case, m’dear, I will see you tonight.”

***

After spending the afternoon resting and sobering up, Rae headed to the pub to meet up with the gang before her “date” with Chop.

“Here she is,” he said loudly when she arrived. He got up from his seat to give her a hug.

He offered to get her a drink while she sat down with the others.

“So, I guess you’ve all heard by now,” she said with a nervous laugh.

“Yeah, we are so happy for you two,” said Izzy, though her smile looked forced.

Rae suddenly felt bad. Although she didn’t officially _know_ that Izzy liked Chop, she strongly suspected it, and she hadn’t really thought about how Izzy would feel towards _her_ in this situation. Rae didn’t want to hurt her friend’s feelings, but she couldn’t reveal the truth just yet or her and Chop would both look like idiots.

“So, how did this happen, with you two?” Chloe asked as Chop returned with beverages.

Rae and Chop exchanged glances before Rae started speaking. “Oh, you know, we had both run off from the rave—‘cause the pills were messing us up—and I went to go rest in his car and he was already there and…”

“And then I put the moves on ‘er!” Chop cut in, laughing. He swung his arm over her shoulder and she smiled sheepishly.

“So now you’re dating?” asked Finn. “After one intoxicated kiss?”

Rae could see Chloe’s expression drop with disappointment—it was clear that her intoxicated kiss with Finn hadn’t led to them dating after all.

“It were more than that,” Chop began, but Rae elbowed him in the side. “I mean, you know, we just came to the realization that we really fancied each other, is all.”

“That’s really great,” said Izzy.

Rae looked at Chop, who couldn’t make eye contact with Izzy, and then at Finn, who couldn’t make eye contact with her.

This was going to be harder than she anticipated.

***

“We just need a plan,” Rae said to Chop when they met up at her house the next day for scheming. “It’s not enough that they see us together, we also need to talk each other up. You know, I tell Izzy about how great you are—”

“In bed?”

“In general! And you tell Finn about me. Sell each other’s good qualities, yeah?”

“Yeah, alright. So how do I do that?” asked Chop.

“Tonight at the pub with the gang, I’ll get the girls to come with me to the toilet to gossip—”

“Is that what you girls do in there?”

“—and you can stay with the lads and talk me up, deal?”

Chop extended his hand to shake on it. “Deal.”

***

Rae and Chop entered the pub together that night, holding hands right before coming through the doors. The others were already there and Rae sat down with them while Chop patted her on the shoulder and offered to get her a drink.

“So, how’re things with you two, then?” asked Chloe.

Rae couldn’t help but notice Finn’s ears prick up. “Good, yeah,” she said. “Actually, I’ve got to go to the toilet—would you girls come with me?”

The girls giggled a little as they excused themselves from the table and followed Rae to the ladies’ toilet.

“Have you got news, then?” Chloe pried. “Have you two done it or something?”

Izzy folded her arms and looked down at the floor.

“Not yet,” said Rae. “But we will soon. He’s so sweet, though, guys. He wants it to be special our first time. You know, he’s just a really great boyfriend because he likes listening to what I have to say and he’s really considerate and that.”

“Chop? Really?”

“Yes, Chloe. I know he can seem like a bit of a goof sometimes, but he’s really kind underneath it all.” Rae looked at Izzy and realized she was going to have to give the girl a glimmer of hope if this was going to work. “The thing is,” she continued somberly, “even though he’s super nice to me, I still worry that maybe…maybe he likes someone else.”

Izzy glanced up at her. “Really? Who?”

“I don’t know who specifically, but I just get the feeling that I’m his consolation prize, you know?”

“Rae, don’t be so hard on yourself,” said Chloe. “I’m sure he likes ya.”

Rae smiled politely at her friend. “So how are things with you and Finn, then?”

“Oh, well, we decided we’re better as friends.” Chloe sighed. “Truth be told, I think he likes someone else, too.”

 _Whoever she is I will hunt her down and—_ Rae stopped herself from this line of thinking. She would burn that bridge when she got to it.

“You know what, though?” Chloe continued. “Maybe you should talk to Finn about Chop? He might know if there’s someone else in the picture you need to look out for.”

“Yeah, good idea,” said Rae. “So… Let’s say there is someone else in the picture—for Chop, I mean—what should I do then? Do I just step aside, or do I fight for him?”

“If you want him, then take him.”

“I don’t know,” Izzy said quietly. “I mean, do you really want to be his second choice? I know I would hate feeling like I wasn’t his first choice. Erm, I mean, if I were dating someone. Which I’m not. Obviously.”

“Or you could make him forget about her, yeah?” said Chloe. “Maybe I should do that with Finn—”

“I think Izzy has a point!” Rae cut in. “I mean, we all deserve to be someone’s first choice, right?”

“Does that mean you’re going to end it with Chop?” asked Izzy.

Rae felt guilty again. “I’ll have to talk to Finn first and get more info…”

***

“Alright, baby girl?” said Chop when Rae and the girls returned.

Rae forced a smile and sat next to him, and he put his arm around her shoulders.

“Me and the lads have just come up with a great idea,” he continued. “We were thinking that we should all go camping this weekend, yeah?”

“ _You_ were thinking that,” Archie corrected. “I was vehemently opposed.”

“It’ll be a laugh!”

“Uh, Chop?” said Rae.

“Yes, m’dear?”

“Can I speak to you for a minute?” Rae got up and headed to the far corner of the pub, dragging Chop along. “What are you thinking?” she asked when the others were out of earshot. “Camping? Why?”

“Cause there are no rules when camping,” Chop replied with a cheeky grin.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Look, I made the guys think that I wanted to go camping to get some time alone with ya, unchaperoned, if you get what I mean,” he explained.

“Then why not just say that you and I are going camping?”

“Cause this way we can actually go, yeah? It’ll be fun, come on! And, if it’s any help, Finn seemed noticeably bothered by the idea of you and me sharing a tent.”

“We’d have to share a tent?”

“Of course! Haven’t you been listening? This is how we’re gonna get their attention!”

“Fine, fine, we’ll go camping, if it means that much to ya,” she grumbled before they headed back to the table with the others.

***

“Why did I have to pick up all the tents?” Chop whined as he helped load up the cars.

“Because it was _your_ idea,” said Archie. “And why does it look like you only got three?”

“That’s all I could find! What am I, Captain-fuckin’-Tent-Shop?”

“I told you I wanted my own tent!”

“Then you should have brought your own tent, alright?”

“You’ll be fine sharing with Finn,” Rae said. “He doesn’t snore.”

The other two boys looked at her questioningly.

“I slept next to him at the party, remember?” she explained.

Archie grumbled as he shoved his bag into the boot of the car.

When they got to the campsite, everyone was eager to get out and stretch their legs, but nobody wanted to start setting up the tents. They eventually did, however, and set the tents in a triangle formation all facing inwards towards each other so they could make a campfire in the middle.

“Wait,” said Rae as she and Chop finished setting up their tent. “All the tents look the same. How will we know which one is ours?”

Chop looked around for a minute then up at the sky. “Ours is facing east, yeah? Remember it that way.”

“Okay…” Rae wasn’t sure she’d be able to tell which way was east just by looking at the sky, though.

***

It was already seven o’clock, and so far camping was just setting up tents and roasting hot dogs on sticks—pretty boring for Rae. She was hoping this trip would give her a chance to talk one-on-one with Finn, but so far they’d done everything as a group.

“I think I’m going to go for a walk,” she said as she stood up.

“What, by yourself?” Finn asked, looking up at her.

She shrugged. “Unless you wanted to come with me.”

Finn glanced over at Chop, who wasn’t paying attention, and then got up as well. “Just a quick one, yeah?”

“Of course. I just need to move my legs; I’ve been sitting all afternoon.”

“So,” Finn said as they headed towards some nearby stables. “How are things with you and Chop, then?”

“What d’you mean?” Rae replied.

“Nothing, just… It’s just still a little surprising, is all.”

“Oh?”

“I mean, no offense, but I didn’t even realize you fancied him.”

“I didn’t really, I guess,” she admitted. “But things change.”

“Yeah, I s’pose.”

They were both silent for a moment before Rae added, “Have you got your eye on anyone, by any chance?”

“Hmm? Um, no, not really.”

“Oh. ‘Cause you could tell me if you did.”

“Thanks, but really. There’s no one.”

Rae inhaled sharply, as if she’d just been stabbed with an actual dagger, but she smiled when Finn turned to look at her and pretended everything was fine. “Has Chop…said anything to you about me?” she added hesitantly.

“Uh, well…” Finn rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “He’s talked about you a little.”

“What did he say?”

“Um, nice things.”

“Can you be more specific?”

“I’d rather not.”

She stopped walking and looked at him. “Come on, what sort of things was he saying about me?”

“Oh, you know… That you’re…good at stuff, I guess.”

“What stuff?”

Finn looked away, seemingly embarrassed, and Rae got an idea of what kind of stuff Chop must have told him.

“Oh my god!” she said. “Is that what guys tell each other about their girlfriends?”

“Hey, I’ve never told him any such thing,” he explained. “He just volunteered this information.”

“I’ll have to have a word with him later.”

***

Rae and Finn returned to the campsite, and joined the others for a few drinks and swapping of stories. Gradually, folks trickled off to bed until just Rae, Archie and Izzy were left around the fire.

“We should probably pack it in,” said Archie. “It’s pretty late.”

“Yeah, alright,” said Rae. “Help me put out the fire.”

With the fire out, it was difficult to discern where each tent was located, let alone whose tent was whose.

“Mine’s the one facing east,” Rae explained as the three of them tried to figure out which was which.

“I think east is that way,” said Izzy, pointing. “Or that way.”

Archie chimed in. “It’s that way.”

“Thanks,” said Rae before heading to the tent facing that direction. She crawled in and nearly tripped over a body on the way to her sleeping bag. “Sorry, Chop,” she whispered, and wriggled into her bag.

She was lying on her side facing him when he rolled over to face her as well. She could feel his face inches away from hers, and noticed a familiar scent. CK One.

“Finn?” she said, sitting up and giving him a nudge.

“Mm, what?” he grumbled.

“What are you doing in my tent?”

“What?” He sounded like he was waking up a little, though his words were still a little slurred. “This is my tent.”

“Then where’s my tent?”

“The one with Chop in it. He’s your boyfriend, remember? Not me,” he said sleepily.

“Okay, sorry.”

“I shoulda been the one to…”

“Been the one to what?”

“Ugh, nothing.”

“No, tell me!”

He sat up suddenly, which she could only tell by sensing the movement—it was still too dark to see anything. “It’s all wrong, Rae.”

“What’s all wrong?”

“You and Chop. Ugh, look, I know I shouldn’t say anything, but I can’t let him string you along like this. He fancies someone else, Rae.”

“You mean Izzy?”

“Wait, you know?”

“Yeah, I know. It’s pretty obvious.”

“Then why are you going out with him if you know he likes Izzy?”

“It were just pretend, Finn. To get Izzy’s attention.”

“So, you lied to everyone? You lied to me? Why would you lie to me?”

“Are you saying you wouldn’t have told her if you knew about it?”

“No, I would have, because that’s a shitty thing to do to someone, Rae. You both should know better than that.”

“Yeah, I see that now. Do you think Izzy’ll forgive us when we tell her? Do you think she and Chop still have a chance? I mean, what would you do, say, if I had done that to you?”

“I don’t know, I mean, I guess I’d eventually forgive you if you were really sorry, but I’d be pretty mad at Chop for going along with it, too.”

“But what if he was only doing it for Izzy as well?”

“I thought he was, though.”

“I know, but I mean, hypothetically, what if he was trying to get Izzy’s attention and I was trying to get yours, like, at the same time. Would you still be mad at him?”

Finn groaned, clearly irritated. “I was just trying to sleep and you’re making me play hypotheticals—”

“Well, what if it wasn’t hypothetical?”

“What?”

“I mean, what if, hypothetically, I wasn’t being hypothetical and that’s actually what was going on?”

“You’re doing my head in, you know that.” He sighed. “Okay, if this weren’t hypothetical, then I would probably say…that your plan worked. You got my attention; I was jealous.”

“Huh?”

“I didn’t like the idea of you two together, and it wasn’t just because of concern for Izzy. But this is only if it weren’t hypothetical, clearly.”

Rae was confused by all this hypothetical talk and tried to glean what was truth from the rubble of all her lies.

Suddenly there was a noise by the tent and it was being unzipped from the outside.

“Third time’s a charm,” said Archie. “This one has to be my tent.” He climbed in over Finn and Rae, forcing Rae to squish over. “You two weren’t making out in here, were you?”

“What? No!” said Rae.

“Okay, ‘cause when I accidentally stumbled in on Chop and Izzy, they were getting pretty busy.”

“You’re kidding!”

“I sincerely wish I were. But don’t worry, I’ve known you two were in a sham relationship since the beginning.”

“How?”

“It was pretty obvious you were both in love with other people.”

Rae wanted to kick him to shut him up but she wasn’t sure exactly what part of him she would be kicking. “Okay, well,” she said, “I should go find my tent—or another tent, at least. Goodnight.”

She wished to make a graceful exit under these embarrassing circumstances, but of course, there is no graceful way to exit a tent when you have to climb over another person to do so. She accidentally tripped over Finn’s legs on her way out into the moonlit night.

***

Rae had wound up sharing a tent with Chloe, who was the last to know about her and Chop’s little scheme, and wasn’t too thrilled about it. In the morning, it seemed like everyone was mad at everyone, except for Chop and Izzy who were in their own little love bubble.

“I think I owe you all an apology,” said Rae as everyone sat around the unlit campfire. She stood but nobody looked up at her. “It was wrong of me to lie to all of you, I just didn’t know how to tell the truth. But the truth is, I like someone, someone who I worried would never see me as anything but a friend, and I just wanted him to see me differently.”

The others shuffled in their seats but didn’t look up at her.

“So I enlisted Chop’s help,” she continued, “and since he is such a good friend, he went along with it—please don’t be mad at him; it was all my idea. I’m sorry I did it, though. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”

Unable to stand the others’ silence and averted gazes any longer, she ran off towards the stables before she started to cry in front of them. She felt like an idiot. Why had she thought this would be a good idea? Why had she thought that lying to all her friends would be the way to make Finn like her? Why had she—

“Rae?”

She turned to see Finn approach her and wiped the corner of her eye. “What?”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I—I’m sorry, I couldn’t.”

“Look, I’m not…I’m not mad, alright? I mean, it’s partially my fault…”

“How is it your fault?” she asked.

“I haven’t exactly been honest with you, either.” He looked down as he fidgeted with his hands. “I wanted to tell ya at the rave, but when I went to look for ya, you were gone.”

“You wanted to tell me what?”

He looked around for a minute before grabbing her hand and tracing letters onto her palm.

She focused on her hand as he wrote out his message slowly. By the time he finished, she felt like she was going to cry again. “Finn, I—”

“You don’t have to say anything, I just wanted you to know—”

“Me too!” She squeezed his hand and he smiled.

“So…what now?”

“Make out behind the stables?”

“Yeah, alright.”


End file.
